Fallible
by ardhrianna
Summary: Sequel to "Sudden Silence". Daisuke just doesn't know when to give up!


RATING: G

SUMMARY: A sequel to "Sudden Silence". Daisuke is persistent!

DISCLAIMER: I don't own these characters. I'm just taking them out for a brief spin before I put them all, except Satoshi, back.

AUTHOR'S NOTES: No spoilers. Very, very big "thank you" to my fantastic beta reader, Analensey. I couldn't have written this without your help! This started out as a response to the tempsmort "word of the day" challenge, and it kinda took on a life of its own. My longest fic in quite a while! "Fallible" means "capable of making an error" so I suppose that does fit. Basically, if you're fallible, you're human.

DEDICATION: For you. Yes, you.

* * *

Another morning, another silent ride to school. However, what was waiting for him outside the gate, almost bouncing with impatience, was NOT normal.

"Morning, Hiwatari-kun."

Satoshi raised an eyebrow. "Morning. Why are you here so early?"

"I guessed you'd try and sneak in before I got here." Niwa looked entirely too pleased with himself. "I was right."

"Why do you keep trying?" Satoshi asked with a sigh. "How many times..."

"Tell me as often as you want, Hiwatari Satoshi, I won't listen." Niwa dropped his bag at his feet and almost glared. "I've told you what I want and I'm not going to let you get away that easily. I'm just as stubborn as you. You should know that!"

Satoshi allowed a small smile to cross his face. "Rather unusual, isn't it? For the thief to be chasing the one trying to catch him?"

A small giggle was the response. "Never thought of it that way. But whoever said we were normal?"

"That is the problem, isn't it?" With that, Satoshi walked away, ignoring Niwa's small cry of dismay as he vainly tried to catch up. There were benefits to having slightly longer legs. He turned a corner quickly and ducked into an unoccupied room, fighting the urge to sigh as he heard Niwa's footsteps run by outside the door. The other boy was right about one thing – he certainly WAS stubborn!

Somehow, Satoshi managed to avoid Niwa until just before class began. He slipped into the classroom before anyone else arrived, although none of the other students seemed particularly surprised to see him there as they slowly trickled in. Finally, Niwa came in with the Harada twins, although he didn't appear to be listening to their chatter as his gaze focused entirely on Satoshi once he noticed the other boy. Without even looking, he avoided at least two tripping attempts and one conveniently placed school bag. The guilty parties looked almost disappointed as their fun was spoiled.

"I will not give up," Niwa hissed quietly, dropping a folded note on Satoshi's desk as he passed by. Satoshi frowned at the innocent-looking piece of paper, hiding it under his hand before anyone else saw it. Why was Niwa giving him NOTES? In class, no less! Carefully, he unfolded it and fought the urge to choke. He'd seen Niwa's handwriting before, and this note was not written in that hand.

Either hear him out, or I make you listen. You have two hours from the time of reading this to make up your mind.

Satoshi had no doubts about who had actually written the note, although he idly wondered just HOW Niwa had managed to hide himself long enough to transform and write a note. Then again, he was a thief by night, so the fact that he could hide just as well at school shouldn't really surprise him. He also had to wonder why the thief was even concerning himself with this whole affair. It wasn't like it affected him in any major way.

Krad began to stir in the back of his mind, attempting to see what had his host so worked up. Satoshi quickly folded up the note and shoved it in his pocket. He did NOT want his demon seeing that!

Satoshi-sama?

It's nothing, go away. Satoshi tried to force the presence back, to little effect. The demon was quite determined, apparently.

I'm not that stupid, Satoshi-sama. What did that foolish boy do now?

You leave him alone!

What will you do if I don't?

Krad, I'm serious. Don't you dare...

Krad's voice turned smug. You're so suspicious.

For good reason! Satoshi sighed, knowing that an outright lie wouldn't work. Krad had the uncanny ability of seeing right through him. Niwa's just being stubborn.

Does he need a lesson in listening?

No, he does not. Now go away, I'm supposed to be paying attention! Class had started while he argued with Krad, and the teacher was attempting to bring her class under control.

You've never paid much attention before, so why start now? You know all of this already. Satoshi growled at his demon in response to that, feeling Krad's laughter as he retreated a bit.

"Hiwatari-kun?"

"Yes, sensei?" He forcefully brought his attention back to the outside world, shoving Krad as best as he could into the back of his mind.

"Is there a reason you're growling at your textbook? Which SHOULD be on page 394, I might add."

Satoshi glanced at his unopened book. "Yes, sensei." The teacher gave him a look but left him alone. Niwa was giving him a sympathetic look, which he ignored. The teacher almost never scolded him. Most of his teachers seemed almost scared of him. Given what was currently snickering in the back of his mind, Satoshi didn't blame them at all. Granted, none of them knew about Krad... Not yet, anyway.

Taking out a fresh sheet of paper, he quickly scribbled a few words and threw the paper at Niwa once the teacher's back was turned. He felt an almost obscene amount of pleasure at being able to act like any other person his age, even if it was just tossing notes at classmates. The paper hit Niwa in the side of the head and he started, bringing his hand up automatically to catch the offending object. His eyes quickly scanned the note, brow furrowing in displeasure once he was done.

Krad knows what you're trying to do and I don't trust him.

Niwa shot Satoshi an unreadable look before he turned to look out the window, seemingly oblivious for the rest of the class. Even after the bell rang, he still sat there until one of the twins-Riku-grabbed his shoulder.

"Niwa-kun, come on! We'll be late for our next class. And you know sensei will make us stay after school if we're late! Remember what happened the last time?"

Niwa shook himself awake. "Sorry, Riku-san. Coming." He thrust his book in his bag, not even looking at Satoshi as he followed the girl out of the room. Satoshi just sat at his desk for a long time, listening to the silence.

For the first time, it felt lonely.

The rest of the morning passed fairly quickly, and Satoshi was thankful he shared no more classes with Niwa until late afternoon. He didn't particularly want to know what the kaitou within the boy was planning. He knew neither Dark nor Niwa himself would accept his explanation, and he wasn't looking forward to finding out just what their response to his note would be. It probably wouldn't be pretty, and it would probably rouse Krad just long enough to cause him many headaches later on.

When the lunch bell rang, he wandered outside. He usually retreated to the roof, but this day, he wanted something different. Thinking about Niwa and Dark made the building seem stifling. He found a particularly secluded tree just out of sight of the main building and settled under it with a book he'd brought from home. He rarely read anything except police reports and the newspaper, so he jumped at any chance he got to read other things.

It wasn't long before he heard footsteps approaching. Two sets, from the sound of it – one heavier than the other. Probably a boy and girl who had snuck away for some alone time. They stopped not far away from him, although there was a concealing bush between him and the new arrivals. Not that he minded. He went back to his book, ignoring the soft sounds of conversation until it dawned on him just who those voices belonged to.

"Well? How is it?"

"You're getting better, Risa-san."

Happy squeal. "Good! I want to make a perfect meal for Dark-san. Thank you so much for helping me, Niwa-kun! I couldn't have done this without you!"

Satoshi raised an eyebrow, abandoning all attempts at reading. So, the girl who'd turned Niwa down was interested in Dark? Like most of the class who had to listen to her every day, he'd had a pretty good idea of her feelings, but he hadn't been 100 sure. Must make for some interesting conversations between host and spirit!

"I'm sure he'll like whatever you cook, Risa-san." Niwa's voice was slightly strained, although the girl didn't seem to notice. Satoshi tuned them out for a few moments until he heard her footsteps retreat.

"So, you know now," Niwa's voice said suddenly and Satoshi found himself face-to-face with the other boy, who'd popped out of seemingly nowhere. Hadn't he been on the other side of the bush?

"That Harada Risa-san likes Dark? That was obvious before. She never stops talking about him."

"You must think I'm pathetic." Niwa sat heavily on the ground across from Satoshi.

"No."

"No?"

"You're not pathetic." Satoshi paused, wondering if he should finish that thought. From the look on Niwa's face, he thought he'd better. "She's just an idiot. People who can't see what's right in front of them are idiots. I should know – I work with about a hundred of them."

Niwa smiled slightly. "Isn't that true for all of us, though? We only see what we want to see?"

"Sometimes."

"More than sometimes." Niwa stared at the sky. "We're all blind to whatever will hurt us. We never want to see the bad things in life."

"It's called innocence. Some of us lose ours earlier than others do."

"Don't you wish, sometimes, that you could be someone else?" Niwa broke the long silence. "Wish that you could be anywhere but here?"

"Every day. I hate this cursed existence of mine."

"I don't hate your existence. And despite his actions, I don't hate Krad, either."

Satoshi stood up abruptly. "You should, Niwa. You should hate Krad. You should hate me. You shouldn't be here with me right now. You should think about protecting yourself!"

"Yeah, well, when have I ever done what I 'should'"? Niwa asked bitterly. "Mom keeps telling me I should let Dark take over more often, that I should be flashier about how I steal things, how I should do this, how I should do that. I hate it!"

"Does Dark know you feel this way?"

"He does now."

Satoshi picked up his bag. "You should..." he paused. "You need to talk about this with him."

"I know." In the distance the bell rang, signaling the end of lunch. "Make excuses for me? I really don't want to go back to class right now."

"I'm not going to lie for you, Niwa."

"Bet people won't even notice. But if they do, just tell them I fell of the face of the planet." Niwa wasn't looking at him and Satoshi beat a hasty retreat. This was a side of Niwa he'd never expected to see. He'd always assumed the boy was carefree, maybe a bit stupid. But he'd finally allowed his mask to slip and it had shocked Satoshi. Not just the fact that he'd seen it, but the fact that Niwa trusted the other boy enough to drop his mask.

Just then, he realized that Krad had been absent during the whole exchange and he quickly turned his attention inward. He found his demon just beyond the edge of his waking consciousness.

I'm surprised you didn't take advantage of Niwa just then, he said to the blond.

Krad looked at him. Please. I've seen enough of that idiot boy mooning over that idiot girl. He's so pathetic when he's doing that it would be like taking candy from a baby. Even I have my standards, Satoshi-sama.

Showing mercy, Krad? That's not like you.

Don't push me, boy, Krad growled. Just because I left him alone this once doesn't mean I'll do it again. In the end, that boy will die by my hand. Satoshi retreated then, leaving the demon alone with whatever thoughts occupied him during the day. When Krad started with the outright threats, it was time to back away.

One of the first people Satoshi spotted upon entering the building was one of Niwa's friends, Takeshi. He passed along the message that Niwa wasn't feeling well and would be missing his afternoon classes. He'd told Niwa he wouldn't lie, but he was also well aware that he couldn't tell anyone else the true reason for Niwa's absence. And it was true enough – Niwa was feeling sick, even if he was only heartsick.

The afternoon passed with no sign of Niwa. Satoshi mentally shrugged and figured he'd gone home. He gave the boy no more thought until the car dropped him off at his apartment complex and he saw the figure standing in the shadows, apparently waiting for him. The decidedly non-Niwa figure.

"Walk with me, Hiwatari Satoshi," Dark said, and for once, there was no hint of humour on his face. Whatever the thief had to say, it was serious.

There was silence for long moments before Satoshi spoke. "Come upstairs. It won't do either of us good to be seen together." Dark nodded and followed Satoshi, not saying a word even after he was comfortably settled on the couch. Once he was settled in the chair across from him, Satoshi asked, "Why did you want to speak with me?"

"I told you that if you didn't listen to Daisuke, I would make you listen."

"Listen to what?"

"His reason for pushing so hard." Dark ran a hand through his unruly hair, obviously unsure where to start. "Do you even live here?" He came out with suddenly.

"What the hell does that have to do with anything?" Satoshi demanded.

Dark gave him a 'look'. "I've seen museum basements that had more personality than this place! It's like a robot lives here, not a human being."

"I repeat, what the hell does that have to do with anything?"

"Okay, okay. I'm just saying. I'm getting yelled at for asking you that, by the way." Dark smiled fondly, despite the fact he was apparently getting berated by his host. Finally, he said, "You don't know how alike you and Daisuke really are."

Satoshi blinked. "Excuse me?" These sudden segues were starting to give him one devil of a headache.

"Other than the obvious, of course. I look at you through his eyes and I wonder why he doesn't see it. Or maybe he does, and that's why he pushes so hard to be your friend."

"I fail to see how Niwa and I are alike."

"You're both lonely," Dark said bluntly. "Daisuke because everyone seems to think of him as a dorky younger brother, and you because you push everyone away." He held up a hand as Satoshi opened his mouth. "I know what you're going to say. Krad is a good reason for wanting to protect other people, but don't you think that maybe it should also be up to those other people to decide for themselves?"

"So you're saying you will let Niwa put himself in potential danger?"

"It's his choice. He wants so badly to be your friend, to make a connection with SOMEONE who understands him."

"You understand him."

"I'm only a part of him; I'm pretty much just a parasite. I won't be around forever."

"So don't you want to protect him while you still can?"

"I want him to be happy," Dark said fiercely. "You have no idea how much Risa hurt him when she rejected him, and turned her affections on me. You only saw a part of that earlier. If there is someone who can lift that sadness from him, that's all I want."

"And you believe that I am capable of such a thing?" Satoshi raised an eyebrow.

"I'm thinking I want you to try. Please."

Now Satoshi was really surprised. The last thing that he would ever have expected the thief to do was beg.

"Dark..." it was Satoshi's turn to run a hand through his hair. "I still don't think it's a good idea. Krad has told me, many times and in quite graphic detail, what he wants to do to Niwa. I cannot put him at risk."

"Is that what you truly want?"

"Does it matter what I want? The only thing that matters is keeping Krad locked away."

"Which you have done! You're much, much stronger than you think."

"Niwa said the same thing yesterday."

"Yeah, well, he's smarter than he thinks he is." Dark smiled fondly. "Both of you are so blind sometimes." Satoshi had no answer for that. "Will you at least think about it?"

"I can't..." the phone rang just then, startling them both. Satoshi quickly went to answer it, although he dreaded the conversation. The only person who ever phoned him was his 'father', and it was usually to tell him that he had a Dark-catching operation that night.

"Satoshi!" His adoptive father's voice was abnormally bright.

"Hello, father."

"I have some good news for you, my boy."

"Do tell." If his father heard the dry sarcasm in his voice, he didn't let on.

"We've received no letters about any thefts tonight. Looks like you have a night off."

Satoshi gave the thief sitting on his couch a look which the other couldn't quite read. "Really? Two nights in a row?"

"Not unusual for Dark Mousy. He can go for weeks without stealing anything."

"Good. This will give me a chance to work on some new security measures, then." Dark looked up in surprise, finally realizing that the conversation was about him. Satoshi waved a hand in a 'don't worry' gesture, fighting back a smile. If his father only knew who was sitting on his son's couch...

"I'll let you know if anything changes." With that, the call was ended and Satoshi let out the breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. Dark was fighting a smile of his own as he looked at his nemesis.

"He didn't tell you anything you didn't already know?" Dark asked, his amusement evident.

Satoshi snorted. "How could you steal anything tonight? You're here! And you'd been waiting quite a while for me, hadn't you?"

"You could tell? Anyhow, somehow I don't think your father would be too thrilled to hear that you have the Phantom Thief in your living room."

"Maybe it's my newest security measure. Trap the thief by pretending to be nice."

"I don't think you're pretending, Satoshi." Dark's simple statement shocked Satoshi, both because the words themselves and the fact that Dark had used his name, something not even Krad did, although the blond's "-sama" was more sarcastic and demeaning than anything else.

"You're stupid you believe that, Dark Mousy," Satoshi said, trying to get his thoughts back to normal.

"I don't think I am." Dark stood up, towering over Satoshi. When had the thief gotten so tall? "I think you're a much kinder person than you want to admit to being."

Satoshi backed up, uncomfortable with being so close to another person. "You don't know what you're talking about."

"Oh, I think I do." He sighed heavily. "Daisuke is screaming at me to leave you alone, so I will take my leave of you. Just think about what I said. I believe he needs you, and I think you need somebody to talk to, even if you don't realize it."

"Since when do you care?" Satoshi's defenses were going back up. "You're just the thief that I have to chase! It's my life's goal to catch you! You're supposed to hate me!" Dark gave him a look, not even blinking when Satoshi threw a book at him. Eyes wide, Satoshi was fighting the urge to scream. "Leave me alone!" Dark nodded and silently walked out, closing the door softly behind him. Satoshi sank to the floor, shaking, although he couldn't tell whether it was from fear or anger. Even Krad, who had been lingering at the edge of hearing, had nothing to say.

Finally, Satoshi got himself back under control, although he was both physically and emotionally drained. "You're wrong, Dark Mousy," he whispered to himself. "I need no one."

You have me, Krad said, wrapping himself around his host as best as he was able. You need no one else.

Satoshi didn't fight him.


End file.
